Musings on Mittagong Malting

Embarked on my third visit to the Mittagong Maltings with Mark Nolan, another photo buddy, hopeful for some better composed shots of this eerily addictive location. It is one of the few abandoned historical locations which are not encircled by mesh. Sadly, the disadvantages appear to be far outweighing the advantages as it appears more damaged with each visit, in spite of the fact that the National Trust of Australia listed the 103 year old structure as being among its “endangered places of 2000”. 

 Above: The second of the remaining main buildings -front access

The Mittagong Maltings Works was originally established by the Maltings Company of NSW (Ltd) to supply barley malt to breweries and operated from August 1899. It was  acquired by Tooth & Co. the major brewer of beer in New South Wales, in 1905, and operated until its closing in 1980.  John Tooth emigrated to Australia from Kent in the early eighteen-thirties, traded for a time as a general merchant, and then, in 1835, with his brother-in-law, John Newnham, opened a brewery in Sydney known as the Kent Brewery. Kent had always been the principal hop growing of the UK. The logo and trademark of Tooth and Co. was based on the Battle Standard of two Saxon Chiefs, Hengist (stallion) and Horsa (horse) who invaded Britain more than 1,400 years ago. The logo is still prominent on the face of the second main building. Admittedly the worse for wear, but still eminently recognizable.  

The Maltings were managed by three brothers Ernest, Clarrie and Arthur Jones. Their Father Henry was also the original manager of the Maltings from 1905 until his death in 1928. The Jones family had a combined service to Tooth and Co of well over 150 years.The Maltings had three separate buildings, one destroyed by a fire in 1965. The other two are now abandoned, having closed in 1981.

Above: The second of the main buildings

Purchased by a consortium for $1.5 million in 1999 the Maltings were then sold to Barry Anstee in 2000 for $590,000. He revealed plans to transform the three malting houses, railway station, manager’s residence and other small service buildings into a 50-room hotel, brewery and winery. Fate intervened and since being offered at auction in 2011, the site is slowly disintegrating with no sign of endeavours to rescue it from history’s dustbin.

Image: looking up at the entranceway to the second site
 

The brickwork, steel pillars and machinery still provide evidence of milling processes from another era however much of the building is now inaccessible due to crumbling or removed staircases. Graffiti covers most of the walls and there is evidence of unsuccessful attempts to successfully ignite some of the wooden components. 

A great write up of a visit to the Maltings was penned by “CosmicThunder” 

sources: http://www.southernhighlandnews.com.au/story/1043233/big-plan-for-malt-factory/

Bombo Yet Again

One of the many advantages of returning to a location is the opportunity to discover new paths and access points. As with any  location adjacent to water flow it is vital to stand and watch for a substantial period in order to gauge the movement and rhythm of the waves. Even then, the ocean is unquestionably unpredicatable.It's always somewhat of a risk wandering in the Bombo quarry so it was with the utmost care that I endeavoured to search for some alternate perspectives. A fall at Bombo could mean being pounded against the rocks with scant opportunity to negotiate a return to land. Bombo is also apparently a snake's playground so the rocks present an additional hazard.

The expansiveness of the quarry is best viewed from the top of the cliffs just south of Cathedral Rocks.

 While the isolation of the location is a great drawcard for me it was reassuring to encounter a mum and her young son Oliver who frequently visit the quarry to allow Oliver's imagination free rein. They'd brought along a length of rope and Oliver was playing the cowboy with his mum the accommodating horse. The interaction between them was heartening to watch.

Return To Bombo

Returned to my favourite location with the Southern Focus Seascapers Group. It meant an alarm set for 2.45 a.m and I was hoping we would be rewarded with some decent clouds at the very least. Nothing quite like turning the corner and hearing those waves crashing against the rocks. I've seen very few images which recreate that almost extra terrestrial atmosphere Bombo exhudes. Experimenting with the Pixel Blender oil paint plugin in PS helps to push the image beyond realistic which is not to everyones' taste, but then neither is Bombo. Many people perceive it to be too dark and brooding, the very quality which engages me. It exhudes an ambience I would imagine to be reminiscent of the Yorkshire moors and the very place where Heathcliffe could wander mourning his "Cathy".

Took us a while but Danielle and I were finally able to locate the path I'd previously uncovered through the bushes so we could climb up on some natural rock steps to get a view looking down on the waves crashing against the rocks.

Walking towards the northern end of the quarry the tall cliffs are replaced by a wall of irregular outcrops which serve as a barrier of sorts against the waves. Reflections are evident amongst the formations after a few rainy days or a monster tide which causes the waves to spill over into the quarry excavation. The entire quarry reminds me of a giant's marble pit with shards of rocks of different sizes strewn amongst the tussocks. We were gifted with some impressive cloud formations which created a great background for the wider landscape shots.

 The basalt rocks are sharp and sometimes slippery and it can be quite a challenge to negotiate a path to a particular vantage point.  Bombo lends itself perfectly to dark brooding processing because it is such an atmospheric location.

Two alternate interpretations

After the shoot it was off to Kiama for the traditional Focus breakfast at the Black Rock Cafe and lots of laughs.

Returning to Bombo on a day with a combination large swell and high tide is on the agenda.